Little Angels

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Little Angels were a hard rock band of the late 1980s and early to mid 1990s.

History and members

Little Angels formed in Scarborough, England in 1984, under the name Mr Thrud. The founding members were Toby Jepson (vocalist), Mark Plunkett (bassist), Dave Hopper (drummer) and the brothers Bruce John and Jimmy Dickinson (guitarist and keyboardist respectively). Michael Lee joined the band to replace Hopper around 1988/89, when the band changed their name to Little Angels and began to achieve national success.

It was at this time that the band met Kevin Nixon who would become their manager and label boss when he signed them to his York-based company Powerstation Records. Eventually out-growing the local scene the band signed to Polydor Records, allegedly a deal done backstage at the old Marquee Club on Charing Cross Road.^{[citation needed]}

Lee was sacked from Little Angels during the Young Gods tour, after it was discovered he had auditioned for The Cult behind their backs. He went on to play the full Ceremony world tour. Lee was replaced by Mark Richardson, who filled in for him on several tour dates, before taking his place officially during the recording of the band's third album, Jam.

"The Big Bad Horns" ("Big" Dave Kemp on saxophone , Frank Mizen on trombone and Grant Kirkhope on trumpet) had become synonymous with the 'Angels' sound over the years, contributing to a large majority of their recorded output, and appearing live with the band more often than not. However, they were keen to remain independent from the band, so appearances on stage and record are credited to Little Angels & The Big Bad Horns.

Little Angels were successful in the UK and cracked the U.S. to some extent, although not enough to satisfy their record label.^{[citation needed]} Nonetheless, they had a massive profile in the UK, playing with Van Halen (who Jepson would be approached to join in 1996) and Bon Jovi, amongst others.

Despite the seemingly disappointing record sales, they followed the announcement of their split by playing a sold-out six date UK tour culminating in a performance at the Royal Albert Hall.

After Little Angels

After the demise of Little Angels, the Dickinson brothers would form b.l.o.w. with Richardson and the former No Sweat guitarist (turned vocalist) Dave Gooding. Jepson recorded and toured an album, Ignorance Is Bliss, under the moniker "Toby and the Whole Truth", which was intended to launch a solo career, but illness scuppered the tour & his immediate plans. He would spend subsequent years away from the spotlight before a solo return in 2002.

When b.l.o.w. folded, Jimmy Dickinson became a member of the synthpop group Younger Younger 28's who had some success in Japan, and who released one album, Soap, on the V2 label. He went on to play with the One Hit Wonders, and is now working as a teacher at the Westwood School of Music in Scarborough, including a course in electronic music.

Bruce John Dickinson went on to teach at, and manage, The Academy of Contemporary Music in Guildford, Surrey. He is now the Managing Director of the Brighton Institute of Modern Music which he set up with former Angels manager, Kevin Nixon.

Mark Richardson joined Skunk Anansie to replace their original drummer. When that band folded, he joined Feeder, following the suicide of their original drummer Jon Lee. He remained with the band until the end of 2008 when he re-joined Skunk Anansie for a greatest hits tour & album, and new material.

Mark Plunkett (bass) turned his hand to artist management. Surprisingly for many, he went on to manage first Boyzone, then Ronan Keating.

Michael Lee worked as a jobbing drummer, often playing with Robert Plant before his untimely death on November 24th 2008.

After a long while away from the spotlight, Jepson struck out on his own in 2001, touring the "Refresh EP" in early 2002 and onwards. Financial pressures sadly put the brakes on this solo venture, and it looked as though he would once again withdraw from the stage. However, he made a return as a solo artist supporting Thunder on their 2006 UK tour and has - once again - performed solo since then.

A spot as guest vocalist for Gun, at a charity gig in Glasgow promoted by rockradio, on the January 8th 2008 resulted in him taking the role permanently. This was confirmed in April 2008.

Jepson, Plunkett & the Dickinson brothers were reunited - supposedly for the first time since the band's split - at Michael Lee's funeral in December 2008. A photo can be viewed here.

Discography

Albums

• The 1987 EP (1987)
• Too Posh To Mosh EP (1988)
• Don't Prey for Me (1989)
• Young Gods (1991)
• Jam (1993)
• A Little of the Past (1994)
• Too Posh to Mosh, Too Good to Last (1995)

Singles

• "90 In The Shade"
• "Big Bad EP" featuring "She's a Little Angel" (1989) UK #74
• "Big Bad World" (Japanese only, seven track CD)
• "Do You Wanna Riot" (1989) UK #91
• "Don't Pray For Me" (1989) UK #93
• "Kicking up Dust" (1990) UK #46
• "Radical Your Lover" (1990) UK #34
• "She's A Little Angel" (1990) UK #21
• "Boneyard" (1991) UK #33
• "Product of the Working Class" (1991) UK #40
• "Young Gods" (1991) UK #34
• "I Ain't Gonna Cry" (1991) UK #26
• "First Cut is the Deepest" (Germany only, according to the LotP inlay)
• "Too Much Too Young" (1992) UK #22
• "Womankind" (1993) UK #12
• "Soapbox" (1993) UK #33
• "Sail Away" (1993) UK #45
• "Ten Miles High" (1994) UK #18
• "Live at Hammersmith"
• "All Roads Lead to You" (never released, is performed by Toby Jepson at solo gigs)

Trivia

Lists of miscellaneous information should be avoided. Please relocate any relevant information into appropriate sections or articles. (October 2008)

• Bruce John Dickinson used his middle name during the band's life, to avoid any confusion with Bruce Dickinson of Iron Maiden fame.
• Mark Plunkett was, for a time, Boyzone's tour manager, and now manages Ronan Keating.
• The band's last TV appearance (minus Toby Jepson) was as Ronan Keating's backing musicians in a live performance of "Lovin' Each Day" on The Pepsi Chart Show in 2001. They did not, however, play on the recorded version of the song.
• Bruce John Dickinson once mimed playing guitar for Boyzone on The National Lottery Show.
• Jepson was approached by Van Halen to replace Sammy Hagar in 1996.
• Toby wore a kilt on stage at the recent Rockradio charity gig, whilst singing as vocalist for Gun.
• Toby is now officially front man for both Fastway and Gun.

External links

• Official Toby Jepson Site
• Big Bad World Site
• The only b.l.o.w. Site
• The first American Toby Jepson Site
• Official GUN Site
• Official GUN fan Site